Stencil marking device



1962 R. E. WILLIAMS 3,051,129

STENCIL MARKING DEVICE Filed May 5, 1960 INVENTOR. 205E275. MLLIAMJ ATTORNEY fi 1,129 Patented Aug. 28, 1962- United States Patent Ofiice 3,051,129 STENCIL MARKING DEVICE Robert E. Williams, 4920 Arthur St, Gary, Ind. Filed May 5, 1960, Ser. No. 27,037

1 Claim. (Cl. 129-8) This invention relates to manually held stencil marking devices and more specifically to such devices particularly adapted for use in free hand writing or drawing upon a a stencil sheet.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a stencil marking device which is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction and which may be easily operated to mark a continuous, intricately curved and uniform line upon a stencil sheet without the risk of gouging or tearing the surface thereof.

It is also an object to provide such a manually operated stenciling device having a stenciling tool mounted upon a grasping handle to swivel upon an axis perpendicular to the stencil sheet when the handle is held in conventional hand writing position relative to the stencil surface.

It is another object to provide such a device having a stencil marking element laterally spaced from the swivel axis whereby frictional drag between the stencil sheet and the marking element swivels the tool to position the marking element constantly facing the swivel axis when the tool is moved in various directions across a stencil sheet.

It is also an object to provide such a device in which the grasping handle has a polygonal shape to fit between the fingers of the operator to positively position the V stenciling tool in proper operative position.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the .accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front View of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the device taken generally along the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of another form of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a front View of the device shown in FIG. 4; and,

FIG. 6 is a top view of the device shown in FIG. 4 with the handle partly broken away.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-3, a grasping handle of suitable material such as the wood handle 10 is provided having a polygonal shape to position the same within the writers fingers for proper operational positioning of the stenciling tool. An elongated mounting arm 12 is attached to the lower end of the handle 10 in longitudinal alignment therewith, as by flattening the upper end of the arm 12 and forceably inserting the upper end of the arm 12 a considerable distance longitudinally into the lower end of the wood handle 10 to permanently fix the same therein. The lower end of the mounting arm 12 forms a generally circular eyelet 14 which is disposed at a proper angle to the arm 12 so that the inlet 14 is positioned generally parallel to the surface of a stencil 15 to be marked when the handle 10 is grasped and held in a conventional hand writing manner relative to the surface of the stencil.

A generally cylindrical swivel bearing 1-6, having a passage l6a longitudinally therethrough, is positioned to extend longitudinally through the eyelet 14 and is fixed thereto at an intermediate portion thereof. A stencil marking tool such as the round wire tool 20 extends through the passage 16a in the bearing 16 for freely rotating movement therein. The upper end 20 1 of the tool 20 is increased in diameter to abut the upper end of the bearing 16 and limit downward movement of the tool therein. The portion of the tool 20 disposed below the bearing 16 is curved laterally of the swivel axis thereof to form a closed vertical loop 20b disposed in alignment with said axis and abutting'the bottom of the bearing 16 at the upper edge thereof. The lower edge 20c of the loop 20b is laterally spaced from the swivel axis to provide a stencil marking element having a rounded leading edge 20d. The stencil marking tool thus makes contact with the surface of the stencil sheet at a portion thereof laterally disposed of the swivel axis, and the rounded stencil marking surface 20c lies within the plane containing the axis of the swiveling stem. When the tool is moved to mark a curved line upon the surface of a stencil sheet, such as the horizontal stencil surface 15, friction between the tool and the surface of the stencil causes the swivel stem to rotate to constantly align the marking surface 20c in the direction in which the stem is moved.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 46, a rigid elongated swivel member 30 is extended longitudinally through a vertical passage provided in a swivel bearing 32, which is generally similar to the swivel bearing 16 shown in FIGS. 1-3. The upper end 30a of the member 30 is enlarged in diameter and the lower end 36b of the member 30 is extended laterally thereof to slidably abut respectively the top and bottom of the bearing 32. A circular stencil marking element 34 is axially mounted for rotational movement upon the lower end 30b of the member 30. In the form shown, the extreme end portion of the lower end 30bof the elongated swivel member is turned laterally to provide an axle 35 for the marking element 34. The axle 35 is tilted downwardly to orient the lower edge of the element 34 to rotate upon the surface of a stencil sheet in alignment with the vertical axis of the swivel member 30. Frictional drag between the circular element or wheel 34 and the stencil surface causes the swivel member 30 to pivot and aline the c'ircular element 34 in the direction in which the bearing 32 is moved across the stencil sheet, to permit intricately curved marks to be made upon such a stencil sheet by a relatively unskilled person, without the danger of gouging 0r tearing the stencil surface.

As in the form shown in FIGS. 4-6, a mounting stem 33 attached to a polygonal grasping handle at one end thereof forms an annular element 33a at the other end thereof which retains the bearing 32 in upright position spaced above and laterally of the marking element 34 when the handle 36 is held in conventional hand writing position relative to a horizontal stencil surface to be marked and is moved in various directions above the stencil surface.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportion of parts without departing from the scope of my 3 invention which, generally stated, consists in the matter set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is: A stencil marking device comprising an elongated handle, a mounting member connected to the lower end vof said handle and having a longitudinally extended portion disposed at an obtuse angle relative to the axis of said handle, a stencil marking tool having a loop formed at the lower portion thereof and swivally mounted at the outer end portion of said mounting member and disposed normally to the extended portion thereof, the lower end of a said tool having a stencil engaging marking element in the form of an arcuately curved member connected there- 4 a 1 l with and having the stencil engaging portion thereof disposed in laterally ofiset'relation to the swivel axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 291,723 Halsey Jan. 8, 1884 317,230 Smith May 5, 1885 976,496 Reiser Nov. 22, 1910 1,152,800 Dick Sept. 7, 1915 10 2,539,601 WaIkBr Jan. 30, 1951 2,735,178 Adams Feb. 21, 1956 2,782,501 Adams Feb. 26, 1957 2,805,475 Adams Sept. 10, 1957 

